The Olivian Army
The Olivian Army 'was a military force organized and maintained by Gaius Olivius during his campaigns to conquer the world. It was originally formed by a single legion that accompanied Olivius with him to Lenorum during the Thirty Years' Siege, but it would later grow to fourteen full-fledged Dinamid legions. The Olivian Army was the primary fighting force that Olivius managed, its numbers remaining consistently at approximately 26,000 throughout his campaigns in the Old World. The legions would be transformed using the Heart of Prace in the late Sixth Era to become the efficient, militaristic Goodfellow peoples that would go on to conquer Neuphany, Tyrrhos, and far beyond. The conquests are detailed in Olivius' memoirs that he had delivered to Lenorum, which was under his control for a little over a century and a half. After Gaius Olivius received word that both Cisteria and ''Solernia had revolted, he gave his final order, or mandatum re, commanding the Olivian Army to garrison his other holdings while he led one of his legions into Solernia to reconquer his capitol. However, his unexpected death resulted in no such development, and for the next few centuries, the Olivian Army would uphold this final command faithfully. At its time, the Olivian Army was the most well-organized and tactically superior army ever fielded. Despite being relatively small compared to its conquered territories, most notably being outnumbered 20-to-1 in multiple instances against the orcs, their coordination, drilling, and strategy was unmatched by any other armies of the day. Even in the modern eras, the Olivian Army remains as one of the key areas of study for any scholars of military history and strategy. Most modern armies borrow at least some qualities from the Olivian Army. Military structure Formations and tactics While Gaius Olivius is best known as a master strategist and charismatic presence on the battlefield, he was also a tactical innovator. He combined classic formations and tactics that had been used for thousands of years with more recent ones, such as his father's strategies in the Iron Crusade to the "mob tactics" employed during the Broken Fetters Rebellions before the First Perthic War. Olivian tactics and formations were highly fluid and flexible. In contrast, many of the army's opponents were still wedded to a rigid system of Line tactics and formations, in which masses of infantry would simply line up and either come to blows or exchange missiles, in an attempt to either drive the enemy from the field or outflank them. Due to the vulnerabilities of the line formations to flanking attacks, it was considered the highest form of military maneuver to outflank one's adversary. Armies would often retreat or even surrender if this was accomplished. Consequently, commanders who adhered to this system would place a great emphasis on flank security, often at the expense of a strong centre or reserve. Gaius Olivius would frequently take full advantage of this linear mentality by feigning flank attacks or offering the enemy his own flank as "bait," then throw his main effort against their centre, split their lines and roll up their flanks. He always kept a strong reserve as well, mainly in the form of his 7th or 8th legions, which could deliver a "knockout blow" if the battle was going well or turn the tide if it was not. Some of the more famous, widely used, effective and interesting formations and tactics included: * '''Line: The basic three rank line formation, best used for delivering missiles and was also a decent melee formation for infantry or cavalry, but it was relatively slow moving and vulnerable on the flanks. * March Column: The best formation for rapid or sustained movement of troops and a good melee attacking formation, but it offered little in the way of striking power and was also vulnerable to flank attack, ambush, ballistic missiles, and "funneling". * Wedge: An arrow or spearhead shaped cavalry formation, designed to close rapidly and break the enemy's line. Classic, and effective, mounted formation used throughout history, and still used by tanks today. But if the wedge is halted, or its attack loses momentum, then it is vulnerable to counter-pincer attack on its flanks. * Attack Column: A wide column of infantry, almost a hybrid of line and column, with light infantry skirmishers in front to disrupt the enemy and screen the column's advance. Once the column closed, the skirmishers would move off to its flanks, then the column would let loose a mass of missiles and charge with their pikes. An excellent formation against a standard, thin line. The Attack Column was developed from the "Mob" or "Horde" tactics of revolting slave armies from several hundred years prior. Its disadvantages were a lack of striking power and vulnerability to ballistic missiles. * Mixed Order: Olivius' preferred infantry formation. Some units would be placed in line formation, with other units in attack column behind and in between them. This combined the hitting power of the line with the speed, melee and skirmishing advantages of the attack column. It also had some of the disadvantages of both, so support from siege engines and cavalry were especially vital for this tactic to succeed. * Open Order: Foot and/or horse would spread out by unit and/or individually. This formation was best for light troops and skirmishers. It allowed for rapid movement, especially over "broken" or rough terrain such as hills or forests, and offered the best protection from enemy fire since the troops were spread out. Its disadvantages were it did not allow for concentrated missiles and was terrible for melee or close quarters fighting and thus, especially vulnerable to cavalry. * Square: Classic infantry formation for defense against cavalry. Soldiers would form a hollow square at least three or four ranks deep on each side, with officers and artillery or cavalry in the middle. It offered infantry their best protection against charges, especially on good defensive terrain such as on the top or reverse slope of a hill. Squares were slow moving, almost stationary targets, however. This, along with their density, made squares very vulnerable to artillery and to a lesser extent, infantry fire. Once broken, squares tended to completely collapse. * Flying Battery: Designed to take advantage of the siege units' mobility and training. A battery would move to one area on the field, lay down a short, sharp barrage, then rapidly redeploy to another area and let loose another barrage, then quickly redeploy again, etc. The combined, cumulative effect of numerous batteries doing this all along the enemy's lines could be devastating. Combination units of cavalry and siege engines were especially well suited for this tactic. Olivius used it to great success in the Olivian Army's later campaigns. Its flexibility allowed him to quickly mass well-aimed projectiles anywhere it was needed. But it required superbly trained and conditioned legions and horses as well as close command, coordination and control in order to work. * Grand Battery: An alternative ballistics tactic, when circumstances prohibited the flying batteries. Siege engines would mass its fire at a single, crucial point on the battlefield (usually against the enemy's centre). It could be devastating if the enemy was caught by surprise or in the open. But massing large numbers of siege engines in a single area without the enemy's knowledge is exceedingly difficult. Once the battery opened fire and its target became clear, measures could be taken to avoid it. It was also vulnerable to enemy siege units and needed protection from cavalry attack. Although this has become the most well known tactic of the Olivian Army, Olivius preferred the flying batteries and used it only when he had to or thought it posed a better chance of success. Often at the start of a battle, he would mass batteries into a Grand Battery, then after a few salvoes, break it up into flying batteries. In the later campaigns it was rarely used, as the legions were better trained and could handle the demands of a Flying Battery. * Boar's Head: Another hybrid formation, somewhat like the mixed order but combining all three arms into a wedge-like square, which could be used for assault or defense. Infantry would form a short, but thick, line many ranks deep on the front, which would be the boar's "snout." Behind them would be two groups of artillery batteries or the "eyes" of the boar. On their flanks and behind them, in oblique order, would be other infantry in column, line or square to form the boar's "face". Protecting their flanks and rear would be two groups of cavalry, which would serve as the boar's "tusk". This was a highly complex formation, which could not be formed as easily or quickly as the others. Once formed, except for the tusks, it had slow mobility. It was, however, faster moving than the traditional square and less vulnerable to missile fire from siege engines and enemy ranged units. The "tusks" also gave it stronger offensive capabilities. Strategic purpose Persisting speculation regarding what exactly Gaius Olivius was - from a demigod to even being a dragon - has raised a simple question: why did Gaius Olivius not use his innate magical abilities, nor any magic for that matter, in his domination of the world? In his work Cisteria II, during his campaign against sorcerers in Numendor, Gaius Olivius explains, How simple, indeed, it would be to match the magi in equal and spectacular might. Should I have chosen a path of sorcery, perhaps our legions would make short work of any and all they have yet to confront, and have confronted. Having seen the magnificence of the Heart of Prace myself, I can attest to the temptation to craft and remold our legions into fearsome dragons ... but that would betray the intent of the Peacemaker. I have not come to conquer, but to usher in the New Age of Peace ... It is far more faithful to you that I demonstrate the superiority in tactics, such that I earn your respect, then to till a warped earth with magic and sow only fear ... who is the legitimate ruler: a wizard who bleeds the earth and mindlessly stamps out resistance, or the tactician who can utilize a human army to defeat any foe? Another story which cannot be validated, but resonates with current evidence, told by Samarchus details a chess game he had with Gaius Olivius. Samarchus had held Olivius in check for several turns in a row and had twice the material on the board, and believed he was on the verge of winning; however, Olivius scored a checkmate seemingly out of nowhere with two pawns and a rook. After the game, Olivius talked with Samarchus about the match over a meal. Samarchus commented that chess is one of many games that reflect one's strategic mind. At this point, Samarchus paraphrases Olivius: Indeed, though there are superior games which embody the spirit of strategy to a greater degree of precision, chess is a favorite of mine for many a reason. Notice that your ability to maintain material and apply pressure to your opponents reflects your strategy well in chess, as well as on the battlefield, as well as in the banal in life. Strategy is a measure of a man's personality. Yes, Samarchus, you understand! - You are driven by control, precision, and relentlessness. That is how you operate. I imagine a game of chess against, say, Black Cato, would be such a game that he would use his arm to wipe the pieces off the board and declare himself a winner; such is the nature of magic, that it is as petulant as it is effective. Yet, Samarchus, you see my own strategy at play here in today's game. I introduce no special pieces to the board, I seek no four-move victory. I enjoy the gamesmanship of chess, and in battle - I give my opponents exactly what they want, and show them how wrong they were for wanting it. Based on this, it has often been inferred that Gaius Olivius sees the domination of the world as a sport, though many interpretations prepend this with the concept of just rule: Gaius Olivius chooses not to use magic on the battlefield to make it a fair game, and give himself legitimacy as a ruler and a man than to be considered a tyrant. This has often been related to his father Horace Virilo, with what limited information on the Iron Crusade demonstrates a similar tactical disposition. Finally, Gaius Olivius was titularly quoted in I Bring Peace as saying, I bring peace to the Old World as a man, not as a savior nor god. I reject and rebuke my worship - you must see that! Many men before me have sought power through incantations and rituals, yet as one born with such capabilities, I refuse to employ them; I am not here to become your lord, but your equal, and to usher in the New Age of Peace! History Lost legions There is great superstition among the Goodfellow legions following the death of Gaius Olivius regarding their fellow corps that had been lost in one way or another, whether they were slain to a man or had gone missing. For this reason, they often regarded their crests and their legion number as cursed or bad luck. 3rd Legion of the Scorpion A revival of the "scorpion" micro-units used in his initial battles against the Emirate of Lonen, the 3rd Legion was most often used for bolstering the Olivian Army's flanks. The usefulness of the scorpion unit was its versatility, its ability to move quickly across the battlefield, and its deceptive nature, though its greatest weakness was its marginal size. The 3rd Legion was given the order to secure Grand Victoria in Velusia ''as a part of the ''mandatum re. It was not long afterward that the veterans and their descendants that made up Grand Victoria's population grew indignant with Goodfellow occupation, and a swift uprising saw the fall of the 3rd Legion and drove them into the wilderness. Systematic destruction of the 6th Legion of the Capricorn The legion of the Capricorn was the first of the amphibious armies under Olivius, as a marine army for reconnaissance and as a spearhead for maritime strategies. It was sent as an advance army when Gaius Olivius intended to take Lenorum. However, it disappeared in the Tomyrian Sea, and was not heard from since. Some members of the House of Merovia insist that they landed in Illyria and would form the House of Lorraine, but this is disputed and has little in the way of supporting evidence. 7th Legion of the Serpent Long after the mandatum re, the 7th legion charged with the administration of Tyrrhos was forced to supplement their dwindling numbers with silver-blood and Auber warriors. Over time, the composition of the overall legion changed and slowly became a predominantly human and silver legion that's core Hanzo-Norri philosophy changed, resulting in its reformation into the monastery of the Gankunori. 11th Legion of the Bear This hard-hitting heavy infantry legion formed the backbone of many Arcadian and Cascadian conquests. The strength and close-quarters style of the 11th Legion made them perfect counters to the imposing orcs of the south. However, in the city of White Harbor, a secretive group of magicians called the Boeths came together and lifted the garrison of Goodfellows with the Buforanian Ward. This magic cursed the 11th Legion and drove them out of the city, and permanently warped the Goodfellows with twisted magic dooming them to lives of savagery and philistine impulse. They continue to harry travelers in Arcadia to this day. 12th Legion of the Lion The companion legion to the 1st Legion of the Fox, the 12th Legion was another favored legion of Olivius. He would often have the 12th Legion accompany him as a supplement to his 1st Legion when necessary. Though the 1st Legion was comprised of mainly light infantry, the 12th Legion was a mixture of both light cavalry and heavy infantry. The 12th Legion was present when Gaius Olivius died, and along with the 13th Legion, failed to take Lenorum and was wiped out in the process. 13th Legion of the Thunderbolt The legion of the Thunderbolt was the second of two siege-specific legions that accompanied Gaius Olivius in his attempt to take back Lenorum. After the death of Olivius just prior to the invasion of Lenorum, the 13th Legion was wiped out in a failed attempt to take the city. The 13th Legion were experts in engineering and siegecraft, though much of their knowledge has been lost. 14th Legion of the First Flame The purpose of the 14th Legion was to man mobile artillery units in the field, and when present, would integrate into other legions to protect artillery batteries in assaulting enemy forces all across the battlefield. The 14th Legion was legendary for their "flying battery" maneuver that made their mangonels and catapults nearly impossible to stop in the midst of battle, keeping themselves concealed yet remaining effective. The 14th Legion was supposed to accompany Olivius in the siege to take back Lenorum; however, the 14th Legion experienced delays and did not receive the mandatum re. It is believed that it is somewhere far and away, across the sea, still waiting for future orders.Category:Large-scale conflicts Category:Wars Category:Famous strategists